I liked this book at times and other times I hadn't. I had read other books that took place at Bletchley Park, but felt this one was different, mostly because of the mystery aspect of it. I didn't it ending like it did and am still not sure about the truth of her real father. ( )

The Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester starts off in December of 1942 at Bletchley Park. Honey Deschamps is on her way to her lodgings when she is stopped by Felix Plaidstow and his dog, Nijinksy. Felix states he works in Hut 6 in the park and he has a package for Honey that was misdelivered. Honey examines the package in the privacy of her room at Mr. & Mrs. Steadman’s (her skinflint landlors). The postmark has Cyrillic letters on it (Russian), and she finds a small square piece of amber inside. Honey ends up tossing the package into the trash. The next day she is at her desk decoding messages on her Typex machine when she receives another similar package. The amber reminds Honey about a missive she saw about a year ago regarding the Germans dismantling the Amber Room from the Catherine Palace and a story her brother told her about their father being its curator. Honey receives more of the mysterious amber packages. Are they from a lost treasure or is Honey being tested? Honey is unsure of who she should trust and turns to the mysterious Felix. Can they unravel the clues and solve the amber puzzle?

The Amber Shadows sounded like such an intriguing story. World War II, amber, coded messages, Bletchley Park, and a mystery. Unfortunately, the blurb was better than the novel. The book wandered and rambled on forever. It lacked focus. I was not a fan of the authors writing style (believe she is trying to set an atmosphere). Honey kept making comparisons between her situation and the movie Suspicion (with Cary Grant). I found it distracting (odd) and it did not enhance the story. I do wish to commend the author on her research and realistic portrayal of life at Bletchely. My rating for The Amber Shadows is 2 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). The mystery was lacking. It can easily be solved early in the story (it is obvious). Honey is lacking in her investigative skills. She makes very little progress until the end of the story when all is revealed. I struggled to wade through The Amber Shadows. I was never able to get into the story. The ending is very unsatisfying (made the whole mystery seem pointless). I was not a fan of the main character (I disliked Honey), mystery or writing. ( )

I came to The Amber Shadows with a great deal of anticipation. So many things to like: the World War II setting of Bletchley Park, code breaking, the fabled Amber Room that was dismantled by the Nazis and still hasn't been found.... The author did deliver on one important part: the setting. Of all the books I've read, Lucy Ribchester has done the best job of showing readers what it was like to live in England through the Blitz-- trying to navigate in pitch darkness with no street signs for guidance, how to dress or eat with strict rationing going on, and how miserable it could be when you're billeted with people who don't want you in their house. This part of the book is excellent.

However, I didn't find much to like about the rest. One of the major themes of the book was the real versus the artificial and the danger of creating a fantasy when you don't like the life you've been dealt. The way it was handled seemed very muddled to me, and it was difficult for me to keep my mind on the story. It also didn't help one iota when the only characters who seemed to have any real intelligence and/or common sense were secondary ones who were seldom seen.

The Amber Shadows is a slow-moving tale that I just couldn't warm up to. Hopefully, your mileage will differ. ( )

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"She thought for the first time in her life how wretched it was to be a woman. War was ferocious to men. But when it was over the ones left would go back to their lives. For a woman, there would always be pillaged wages, affairs broken off, promises unfulfilled, family shame, babies to be hidden in unmarked graves, in wooden drawers."

Honey Deschamps is a typist at Bletchley Park, transcribing decrypted messages for the war effort, when she begins to receive packages of unknown origins containing chunks of amber bearing coded messages. Frightened by the ramifications and lacking the skill to decipher the carvings in the amber, Honey keeps the parcels largely a secret. However, the brutal murder of her brother and the loss of her closest friend pressures Honey into embarking on a journey for the truth about both her past and the mysterious packages.

A complex story of code breaking, war, family secrets, and obsession. A rather peculiar read, with a prose style that is alluring, but can require a certain level of commitment to become invested in. The Amber Shadows is slow to develop, but when the story suddenly hits it's stride it becomes impossible to look away. A sinister, sinuous narrative with a brutal twist I never anticipated. Ribchester is a master of secrets and illusion, making this well worth the read. ( )

For some reason I had always pictured Bletchley Park as a single hut full of mathematicians - maybe 20 or so of them. This book has re-educated me and for that I am grateful. There were of course many more huts and many many more people. And despite having read many wartime books, few have really brought home as well as this one the realities of the blackout and the lack of signage. It's a well researched book brought together with a brisk and bouncy writing style I admired very much. The only issue I had was it was the length - towards the end scenes became so long winded that I was tempted to speed-read, and I can't help thinking I would have enjoyed it more if it had been snappier and more to-the-point. ( )